Nick Cline is an M&A lawyer with more than 25 years of experience focusing on UK and international company board advisory work and cross-border M&A, investment, recapitalization and joint venture transactions.  He is a former member of the firm’s Executive Committee.

Mr. Cline has represented, among others, Vodafone, VEON, Virgin Media, Qatar Investment Authority, Taylor Wimpey, Thomas Cook Group, Aon, Warner Bros., Mattel, Yildirim Holdings, Emerson Electric, and Human Rights Watch.

Mr. Cline's representative transactions include advising:

  • Viasat on its US$7.3 billion combination with Inmarsat; the combination will create a leading global communications innovator with enhanced scale and scope to affordably, securely, and reliably connect the world
  • Thomas Cook Group in connection with its strategic review, re-financing and the proposed sale of its airline and ultimately its attempted recapitalization
  • Aon in connection with the creation of a revaluation reserve and its US$31 billion capital reduction
  • Peninsula Pacific, a US based consumer and industrial private equity investor, in its proposed business combination of Concrete Pumping Holdings to Industrea Acquisition Corp 
  • The independent directors of Vedanta Resources in connection with the possible offer by Volcan Investments for the remaining issued and to be issued share capital of Vedanta not already held by Volcan
  • William Demant Invest A/S in connection with its acquisition of Vision RT, a UK-based 3D surface imaging technology company developing products and solutions for surface guided radiation therapy 
  • ACCO Brands Corporation in connection with its €296.9 million acquisition of Esselte Group, a leading European office products company, from private equity firm J.W. Childs
  • ViaSat in connection with its joint venture with Eutelsat Communications to combine Eutelsat’s current European broadband business with ViaSat’s industry-leading broadband technologies and consumer Internet Service Provider (ISP) business expertise
  • EQUATE Petrochemical Company KSCC in connection with the US$2.99 billion acquisition by EQUATE Petrochemical Company KSCC of the MEGlobal Group
  • Qatar Holding in relation to the US$45.5 billion merger of Xstrata and Glencore International
  • Mattel on its acquisition of HIT Entertainment Limited
  • Emerson Electric Co in relation to the sale of its Connectivity Solutions business to Bel Fuse 
  • Thomas Cook Group in relation to the sale of Gold Medal and its strategic partnership with dnata
  • Patrick McKillen in relation to the £145 million share issue and £547 million refinancing of Maybourne Hotels Group
  • Qatar Holding on its acquisition of the Harrods Group
  • Qatar Holding on its strategic alliance with NYSE Euronext, related to Qatar Exchange Company
  • Yahoo! on the sale of its online price comparison business, Kelkoo
  • Qatar Holding on its acquisition of interests in Barclays Bank for approximately £3 billion
  • The Carlyle Group on the LBO of IMO Car Wash Group
  • Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) on its bid for J Sainsbury
  • Charterhouse Development Capital on the sale of Coral Eurobet to Gala Group Finance Limited for £2.18 billion
  • Yahoo! on its acquisition of Whereonearth Limited and Kenet Works

Bar Qualification

  • England and Wales (Solicitor)

Education

  • LPC (Distinction), College of Law, Guildford, 1994
  • CPE, College of Law, Guildford, 1993
  • B.Sc., King's College London, 1992